There are two main picnic areas located at both public beaches within the park. Picnic areas include tables, outdoor grills, restroom facilities and playground equipment located nearby.

Two open picnic shelters can be reserved for a variety of large outings and family gatherings accommodating as many as 50-100 guests. The shelters, one at each beach, can be reserved at a rate of $40 per day. If not reserved, the shelters are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis. The shelter at Public Beach #1 (near the campground) is equipped with electricity.

Missouri?s largest state park at 17,442 acres, Lake of the Ozarks State Park, exemplifies many of the natural features associated with the northwestern Ozarks where it is located. Though the man-made lake stands out prominently with more than 80 miles of lake frontage within the park, observant hikers will detect more subtle influences of water on the landscape. Lake of the Ozarks State Park has much to offer in the way of natural diversity and its trails can guide you to arid glades, lush fens, beautiful wildflowers and blufftop vistas.

NATURAL HISTORY

Over thousands of years, the cutting action of the Grand Glaize Creek (now the Grand Glaize Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks) has exposed sheer picturesque bluffs along its course. Rocky, highly eroded hilltops form scenic glades with few trees. An unusual array of drought-adapted plant and animal life can be found here, including yellow coneflowers that are found in the Missouri Ozarks, but, according to the most recent records, nowhere else in the world.

Surface waters slowly filtering through the underground cracks and joints are responsible for creating large, water-filled chambers. As these chambers were later drained by the downcutting streams, more than 15 known caves were exposed.

The natural wonders of the park can be found in the Patterson Hollow Wild Area and Coakley Hollow Fen Natural Area.

PATTERSON HOLLOW WILD AREA

Part of the Lake of the Ozarks State Park south of Highway 42 and west of Highway 134 has been designated as Patterson Hollow Wild Area. This 1,275-acre area possesses nice stands of oak-hickory forest that provide warm blazes of color during the autumn months. A patchwork of old fields and pastures in various stages of succession also can be found. The spring dogwood display is particularly impressive.

Drainage from the Patterson Hollow bisects the wild area, but flows only after heavy rains. Small springs and seeps along its course form clear perennial pools in the streambed that are great for wading on a hot summer day. Small fish such as the southern redbelly dace and stippled and orange throat darters (males of all three species are quite colorful in the spring), creek chub and stone rollers can be found in these pools. Hikers occasionally will startle green herons that feed on these fish.

Other wildlife in the wild area includes deer, wild turkey, pileated woodpeckers, red-tailed hawks and American woodcocks.

This quiet wild area can provide a wonderful experience for those interested in observing nature or in seeking the peacefulness of a few hours of solitude.

COAKLEY HOLLOW FEN NATURAL AREA

This four-acre natural area features a swampy, spring-fed meadow, seeps and a spring branch along Coakley Hollow. The natural area also features a fen, which is an area with a constant supply of cool, mineralized water seeping to the surface. Because of the seepage, plants and animals living here must be adapted to saturated soils. The fen community is made up of shrubs and herbaceous plants, many of which are normally found growing several hundred miles north. A trail and boardwalk provide access to the fen.

SIGNING

All trails in Lake of the Ozarks State Park open for public use are identified with entrance signs and marked at intersections with colored directional arrows. Occasional colored markers are used to identify trails where the route is not clear. Trail users are advised to watch closely for trail markers, especially where trails intersect only roads.

Stables:

Ozark Homestead Stables are open daily year-round from 9 a.m. to one hour before sunset. The stables have horses for the experienced rider as well as the beginner and offer one and two-and-one-half hour rides, all-day rides and pony rides for small children.

All rides are staff-guided. Although reservations are not required, they are highly recommended particularly during the summer months. No double riding is allowed. Along with guided horseback and pony rides, the stables at Lake of the Ozarks State Park offer lessons, hayrides/parties, scout badges, overnights and meal rides.

Located just minutes from Osage Beach, take Hwy. 42 east for 3.5 miles and turn into the park entrance on Hwy. 134. The stables are four miles beyond the park entrance. For additional information regarding tours, please call (573) 348-6670, fax (573) 348-6672 or visit the stables' Web site.

Cave Tours

Visit Ozark Caverns in Lake of the Ozarks State Park and discover what lies beneath the surface!

Caves are common geologic features in areas like the Ozarks, which is underlain by thick layers of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. Water, seeping through subterranean cracks in these rock formations, begins to enlarge some of the fractures. As the dissolving action of the water continues, the cracks eventually become large, water-filled conduits that form parts of extensive underground drainage systems.

As these water-filled systems gradually are drained by deepening surface valleys, they become the air-filled passageways we know as caves.

A walk through Ozark Caverns is a journey through one of these large, drained conduits. It is a walk into an environment where geologic processes can proceed unhindered by many of the erratic, erosive forces that shape the surface landscape. In the protected cave environment, dripping and seeping water can redeposit carbonate materials in the form of soda straws, helictites, stalagmites and a host of other geologic wonders that can be seen in Ozark Caverns.

Angel Showers, an unusual cave phenomenon, is a featured part of the Ozark Caverns tour. The never-ending shower of water seems to come out of the solid ceiling of rock.

The protected cave environment also allows visitors to contemplate the claw marks left in the sediment fills by animals that sought shelter here thousand of years ago.

Four species of salamanders, four species of bats, and 16 species of invertebrates live in Ozark Caverns. Four of the invertebrate species live exclusively in caves, never venturing out of the protected environment. Ozark Caverns is home to many small, secretive cave animals, such as the blind grotto salamander, which sometimes can be seen on cave tours.

There is also much to see on the surface. Coakley Hollow Trail, which is a one-mile, self-guiding interpretive trail, begins and ends at the caverns parking lot. This trail crosses a variety of habitats including a glade, fen and an Ozark spring branch. It is also a good place to see spring wildflowers. Trail booklets are available at the visitor center. There are ample picnic sites on the grounds.